James Cook, The first sailor who surrounds Antarctica

James Cook, The first sailor who surrounds Antarctica

James Cook is an explorer, navigator and cartographer from England who successfully mapped Australia, New Zealand, the West Coast and found Hawaii. In addition sailor James Cook was first to circumnavigate the Antarctic continent.

Cook was born on October 27 1728 in the village of Marton in Yorkshire, a village which is now located dipinggiran Middlesbrough, England. Cook's father had the same name with James Cook who worked as laborers on the farm and his mother Grace Pace. Cook was the second of eight children.

In 1736 the family moved to Airey Holme farm at Great Ayton. After the school for five years, he worked for his father who has been promoted to farm manager. When Cook was 16 years old he moved to the fishing village called Staithes to be a guard force grocery stores owned by William Sanderson. Cook also introduced to the friends who have Sanderson merchant ships. From where Cook became interested in the oceans.

Because it was not suitable to work as shopkeepers, Cook then work on ships trading. There he learned much about algebra, geometry, trigonometry, navigation and astronomy. He then volunteered for the British warship, the Royal Navy at that time Britain was still in the Seven Years' War. From there, Cook began to show his talent in the world of shipping. She began exploring North America, and create a map of New Foundland and the area around Quebec.

Start Exploring Cook

James Cook around the world three times voyage whose purpose is to search for the continent in the southern part. At that time people believed that in the south there is a large continent as a counterweight to the continent in the north. Cook was elected to lead the search lost continent south of the equator (Terra Australis).

Cook's first voyage occurred in year 1768 until 1771. His job is to do research and record the planet Venus trace the trajectory of the sun. He set out from England to the Atlantic Ocean aboard the Endeavor. Voyage past Cape Horn and then turned the ship into the West towards Tahiti to the southeast coast of Australia.

On 19 April 1770 he reached the southern coast of Australia. Cook then along the east coast of Australia, on April 29 he met with indigenous people Asutralia Aboriginal, and landed on the continent of Australia, in Botany Bay. From that spot, Cook sailed to Batavia and keep heading to the Cape of Good Hope and returned to England on July 12, 1771.

A year later, Cook set sail both via boat Resolution at the request of the Royal Society to find Terra Australis. He was given the task to prove the myth of the continent to the south as a counterweight in the northern part of the continent. The second cruise was conducted over three years, ie between tahun1772 until 1775. In this journey Cook took the road from west to east, from Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa heading to the Antarctic circle and moving to the east, then go to the Pacific. The trip this time to prove use K1 chronometer to calculate longitude (longitude) more precisely.

Browsing Cook third and last exploration carried out in 1776 until 1779. In the course of this time he was still using the Resolution. He went to Tahiti and then to the north and landed in Kauai, Hawaii. From Cook sailed north along the western coast of North America and heading to the Bering Strait. Because it can not be passed, Cook returned to the south and managed to find Hawaii. He landed landed in Hawaii on the Big Island. While in Hawaii is a conflict with the local population. Date February 14, 1779 James Cook, along with four other commanders were killed in the conflict, but the ship managed to return to England.

Family and Inheritance Cook

Cook married a woman named Elizabeth Batts in 1762. He and Elizabeth had six children namely James, Nathaniel, Elizabeth, Joseph, George and Hugh. Cook was the first European to visit Hawaii and became the second European to reach New Zealand after Abel Tasman and have mapped the entire coastline.
Cook for 12-year voyage in the Pacific Ocean has contributed so much in European science. He also became the first European to make an accurate map of the world, especially the Pacific region. The map comes with a longitude almost perfect accuracy.

Cook managed to browse in a first voyage without losing any men. Cook is also regarded as the first to have contact with various people of the Pacific. Arrival Cook in New Zealand also serve as the beginning of colonization in the region.